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Speer DIy hammock kit

I am considering purchasing the Speer diy hammock kit... the whole shibang hammock, bug net, and tarp. Has anyone bought this kit and put it together???? How easy is it for someone who has never touched a sewing machine to complete this kit, I have access to someone who does a lot of custom clothing and their sewing machine for advice but I was wondering if anyone had any tips for this set.

Do the hammock first. Then the bug net followed by the tarp. That is the progression easiest to hardest. My We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! vid series might be helpful as you are a thread injector newbie. The Speer products are very popular in this community. I can't use them because of mobility issues but a great many people do.

I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

I recently made a Speer hammock from their kit. It is very easy. The sewing part is just a bunch of straight stitches. The time consuming part (for me) was folding and pinning all of the seams prior to stitching, especially the flat felled center seam on the tarp.

The instructions are available on their web site but there were a couple of places where the book (included with the kit) has a better description or a better picture.

Hammocks are cake to make. The hardest part is convincing yourself to do it. Tarps can be a little harder just b/c the fabric is so slippery, but it's doable. I think RamblinRev's order is spot on.

Remember...it's cloth carpentry. It only has to work, not look perfect. Your stitches will get straighter with time, so for now just focus on function and don't beat yourself up over some puckered fabric. Mine still turn out that way sometimes and I've made lots of projects.

If someone's critiquing the stitches on your gear, do you really want to hike with them anyway?

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

Hammocks are cake to make. The hardest part is convincing yourself to do it. Tarps can be a little harder just b/c the fabric is so slippery, but it's doable. I think RamblinRev's order is spot on.

Remember...it's cloth carpentry. It only has to work, not look perfect. Your stitches will get straighter with time, so for now just focus on function and don't beat yourself up over some puckered fabric. Mine still turn out that way sometimes and I've made lots of projects.

If someone's critiquing the stitches on your gear, do you really want to hike with them anyway?

Haha I agree!

"Science, my lad, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth." - Jules Verne